Tag Archives: organize

Sep1

Uniform Deals

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Uniform Deals

Everyone has been frantically shopping all over Kuwait for all the requirements of their kids starting school again.

I find it so funny that no matter how well you try to be prepared the final few days before they start is inevitably crazy & hectic.

I have been extremely good about planning and making sure I manage every aspect of the girls back to school routine and needs. From supplies, back packs, labels I’ve even stocked up on items like meatballs, chicken fingers, potato balls and spinach balls in my freezer. Those are staples I have for lunchbox items.

Yet there was one thing that I had to keep lingering not because I didn’t get around to it but because I’ve been waiting to hear what the school policy was on their new uniform.

As may other parents were also heading to every shopping location available in Kuwait to find their last minute pieces here’s a little list of finds, deals and good to know.
deben
The best deal you can find on School uniforms (navy pants/skirts/shorts, white shirts/polos, Navy sweaters & cardigans) is at Debenhams. They have a set of two skirts for KD5 & KD6, Buy 2 get one free. They also had the same deal for shirts & socks. They have 3 main locations Souq Sharq, Avenues and the Gate Mall. They also have the Airport branch but they don’t have the uniforms there)

You can also find the same items at Marks & Spencer, my personal favorite is the new one in Salmiya next to Symphony mall. They also have the gray variety of uniforms if you need them. As for the girls’ school they currently changed their polo color to Light blue which luckily I found at M&S, a Pack of 2 polos for KD 5.500.

You can also find a selection of school uniforms at Baroue. Luckily they also have light blue polos in case anyone’s looking… The quality is not comparable to those of M&S but sometimes we do need those in quantity so our heart doesn’t sink everytime they come back with pen marks that are embedded for life. Each polo was KD1.990.

If you’re looking for just regular white polos and navy pants/shorts I also found a great selection at Centerpoint. Also at extremely reasonable prices.

My last recommendation is a store called Okaidi. It’s at the avenues beside That al Salasil bookstore. I found lovely navy skirts there that fit the girls wonderfully but I found them to be a little pricier than all of my other purchases. Each skirt was around KD8.900. (yes I’m a frugal mom and admit it….probably one of the very few that will be vocal about it in Kuwait!)

So here’s hoping you’re all squared away with your children’s school uniform and I’ve made the journey a little easier for you.

Now I have time for Making Life Memorable. instead of shopping!

Aug22

ReShuffle & ReOrganize

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ReShuffle & ReOrganize

In every household there comes a time when things just start to get jumbled up and it’s high time to do some de-cluttering and organizing. We just get so busy in our lives that we may not have the chance to do it as often as we would like.

The turn of a New year is always a good time because your mind set is that you’re starting fresh and New… well at least that’s how I initially felt. 8 months later I look at my To-Do list of organization and I haven’t even scraped the surface.

I wonder what happened??? Oh LIFE that’s what happened!

Between my newly relocated store (The original Basket Boutique), running around with my girls, a social life that I try to maintain I hardly have time to do those extra things that make me happy.

CraftRoom
 

My crafting room has therefore suffered immensely!! I started to just pile and pile things over each other. Not only MY things but somehow boxes and boxes of random things from clothes to give away, toys…etc etc.

Needless to say day in day out I would stand in front of the mess for a good five minutes while my husband works on his tidy side of the office. Frustrated and repeating “I need to organize” as though I was chanting and calling for some mysterious organizing elf to come in the middle of the night and solve all my problems….

Then I decided I must take it step-by- step… Like I didn’t know that 8 months ago!!!

Well my first step I took was to go through all this stuff and giveaway what I’m never going to use (including kids toys they didn’t know where gone)
 

boxes

The second thing (which was my last until I find some more time) I went through ALL the papers stashed all over the place and organize them into nice matching boxes and Magazine folders that I got at Ikea. You can check out their small storage systems online in their Paper & Media Organizers.
 
 
 

So until I figure everything else out in my head I’m off to Making Life Memorable while the chaos remains.

Aug19

Digital Pictures

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Digital Pictures

I can’t decide if digital pictures are a curse or a blessing. We are blessed to have such amazing technology that we can take pictures and videos with our smart phones… Any time, any place, instant development, over and above we can share them on our social media for basically Everyone in the world to see….. Yet once I upload them, back them up it seems that I never go back to them….

picFolders
 
Seriously!! I was going through files and files in order to find a specific picture from one of the girls’ birthday.

It took me HOURS because I ended up just viewing whatever file I opened because I saw pictures I didn’t even remember I had.

Ok I have to admit I’m really guilty when it comes to organizing them…yes that is a flaw in my OCD, DYI, organization fixation. I even attempted to make sure I put them on Shutterfly. It doesn’t seem to be enough….

It’s funny how something so good as digital photography can turn out to be overwhelming while I’m busy “Making Life Memorable” I’m also having an inner battle as to how to organize my memories…..

Sep3

Teacher’s Survival Kit

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Teacher’s Survival Kit

The first day of school is a challenge for EVERYONE! Parents, Students and Teachers all have to get back into the routine and face whatever curve balls that crosses their path.

COVER

Just like I want the kids to enjoy their first day back I like to make sure the Teacher’s also happy….

You may call it whatever you want brown-nosing, kisses up or any other term but I want to make sure the person that’s going to spend most of their day with my child is “HAPPY”!

This year I started my gift giving a lot earlier than usual, I kicked of the first day with a “Teacher’s Survival Kit”

The first thing I did was design the covers for each box. I made the girls pick the borders and I did the rest using powerpoint, printed them out on A4 and laminated each.
The next step was getting all the goodies. That’s the REAL fun part…..
Kit_supplies1

I used a Plastic container that’s about 35cm x 22cm then I basically went to town with supplies.

Here’s what went into each container:
Colored paper clips, rubber bands, binder clips and push pins
Decorative mini clothespins and mini erasers
A collection of large and small smiley board magnets
Mini & Large colored post it notes
Pagemarker strips
Motivational Stickers
Colored Markers
Pocket notepad
As I was buying all these supplies I decided that I had to buy something special FOR the teacher so I added
Hand sanitizer, Band Aid, Actifast Panadol, Chapstick, mini chocolates and leamon & honey herbal tea.

Full-J

 

Then it was just a matter of putting it all together.

I tried my best to make it as organized as I could. It was almost like putting a puzzle together with all the different sizes and shapes of the supplies.

Then the final touch that made it personal. I stuck the laminated cover onto the lid with glue dots.

All ready to be handed to the teacher hoping it’ll “Make life Memorable” to them.

 

TSK2016

Aug28

Study Station Success

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Study Station Success

Girls tucked in and fast asleep and my mind is so much clearer. Grabbed my cup of yogurt and sat in front of Jennah’s desk assessing the situation.

What should I tackle first?? The easiest naturally. All last year and summer Artwork removal. I decided what’s worth saving and what goes for recycling. I did go through them at the end of the school year but it seems I lost some of the attachment to the girls artwork.

Half way through going through the papers, art projects displayed and in folders I realized it’s taking way to much time. I decided to put them on the side and work on something else.

It’s time to organize the stationery. The containers I used were small tin buckets, small basket and small plastic bins.
 
Stationary desk
Tins: I put erasers in the extra small tin bucket. Pencils in the small tin bucket.

Plastic Bins: Colored Pencils in a plastic bin and markers in the other bin. I made sure I sharpened all the pencils with my electrical sharpener. A must have in our household with the amount of coloring we do!

Basket:In the small basket I put post it notes and small notepads, I use these for marking her assignments and for explaining things while studying.
 

After I cleared up any additional papers hanging out in the other cubbies of her desk I put a clipboard, whiteboard and an empty magazine holder for new papers coming back from school.

Now the laptop and headphones are neatly placed in the other corner of her desk.

I removed everything from the top up and it’s time to look at the bottom…. Yikes!!!

Do things crawl in our household? Why are their toys? Painting gear? Blocks? Crafting things…if I’m going to continue the list of what I found it’ll develop into a whole other post!
 

Obviously I had to spend a little extra time organizing homes for all these miscellaneous items. Painting and crafting on the painting corner, blocks & Lego with the rest of the blocks….etc
 
below Desk
 
All cleaned up down there for some leg room and a few empty magazine holders for my little second graders work.
 
 
 
 
 
 
I took a step back and felt proud of how neat the space looked, off course I’m not sure how long that would last but at least it’s a great way to start the new school year. Still I felt it was lacking something….I have to add some sort of personal touch.
 
board 
 
 
Then it came to me, the cork board looked so plain…. I took the push pins and made the letter “J” for Jennah.

I’m sure it’s not going to last before all the papers take over but hey I had to have my touch somewhere!

 
 
 
 
DRUM ROLL PLEEEEEEEZE….
The final look of an organized Study Space for Jennah, now she’s ready to tackle 2nd grade….you think?

organized Desk

Read the Part one of this post

Aug25

Back to School

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Back to School

I remember the last week of school like it was yesterday! I remember thinking “OH my God what am I going to do with the girls??” Well I survived, the girls are still somewhat civilized and we didn’t perish in Kuwait’s heat. Now we’re at the last week of the summer vacation and getting ready for school. Uniforms, supplies, back packs, lunch boxes and so much more to think of.

I’m dedicating all my posts this week to Back to School tips, organization and planning. First up is what’s your school year looking like?

Have you looked at the school calendar yet?? Most schools have them on their website so I suggest printing it out and take a look at the year ahead. Now if you have more than one child that go to different schools, like me, be sure to printout each school’s calendar.
 
calendar
Now the first step to staying organized and minimize stress is to stay on top of things. So go out and get a really good calendar. Something with enough writing space that can fit the whole family’s schedule. My favorite is the magnetic fridge calendar from Motherword. It’s got the perfect writing space for us all and the additional stickers to make it even more fun, who doesn’t love stickers?! It’s also a 16 month versus the usual 12 months. Really designed for mothers to put to good use.
 
 

pens
 

 

A method I use when writing on the calendar is using different colors for each family member and combinations (ie Kids playdates together, Fawaz & I…etc). It makes it so easy to visualize for the whole family. I highlight birthdays and holidays in advance so that we can anticipate the month ahead and be prepared with gifts without stressing out about it at last minute. and most importantly in my life would be no double booking.

 
 

 
 
 
 
A very important thing to remember is “location, location, location!” It’s crucial to hang your calendar in a place that EVERYONE can and will access. This calendar isn’t just so you’re organized and informed but so everyone around you is on the same page. In my household the most traffic is in the kitchen. Some people have their family room or entryway as the high traffic space. I suggest you take a look at your lifestyle and decide accordingly as to where the “perfect” place for the calendar is. The additional advantage of the Motherword calendars is that they have magnetic strips that you can stick on the back to mount onto your fridge. If you do find a calendar you like that doesn’t have that you can also buy magnetic strips at most stationery stores.

The more you’re organized and prepared the more time you have to “Making Life Memorable”